An Oakland County automotive dealership recently won national acclaim on a consumer ratings website.

Shuman Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Walled Lake won DealerRater.com's 2013 Overall Dealer of the Year award for the U.S. with a 24-month rating of 4.9 out of 5. The dealer was also named Dealer of the Year for each of its brands.

"We were pretty shocked that we were the best in the nation but what the heck, we think we do a pretty good job. We thank our customers for giving us good reviews."

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One of the greatest contributors to the dealership's success is its customer-first policy, Shuman said.

"My business philosophy is that we're here to help," he said. "We start with that premise every day. If we try to help people, it all seems to work out in the end."

The dealership listed with DealerRater.com back in 2011 and since then has netted 988 customer reviews. In the interest of accuracy, the website has a system in place that blocks dealer and manufacturer employees from submitting reviews on behalf of the company.

The dealership is rated received the highest rating, 5 each in customer service, quality of work and friendliness. It has a rating of 4.9 in overall experience and pricing as well. The site has 988 lifetime reviews listed for the dealership.

The website's criteria for the award include at least 25 new reviews submitted to the site during the previous calendar year and an average rating greater than 4.0 out of 5.0. The dealer also must not have been blacklisted within the last 12 months.

The future is bright despite the fact that business can change instantly because of gas prices or foreign influence, Shuman said.

"Since some of the unpleasantness that Chrysler and General Motors went through, every year has been an improvement," he said, mentioning the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chrysler Town & Country were two of the dealership's top-selling models.

"We're very positive about what 2013 is going to be."

He added that he wouldn't let the recognition get to his head and wants to keep his business where it's been since 1955.

"We've seemed to carve out a niche here in Walled Lake," he said. "We certainly don't want to be the biggest dealership in the world, we just want to focus on trying to make this dealership the best."

Shuman also is the chairman of the 2014 North American International Auto Show and will be visiting auto shows in Paris, Beijing, Frankfurt and Shanghai leading up to the Detroit show. He visited the International Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland earlier this week.

"Even here, I never realized how great our show is in the eyes of the rest of the world," he said. "A lot of the manufacturers rank us No. 1. We are considered one of the best shows in the world and many consider us the best international auto show."

Attaining the chairmanship for 2014 North American International Auto Show was a nearly five-year process. Despite the opportunity to travel, Shuman said he can't wait for it all to be over so he can get back to what's most important to him.

"I'm kind of looking for the travel to be over so I can spend more time at the store," he said.

Shuman Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram is located at 1111 S. Commerce Rd. in Walled Lake and can be reached for general inquiry at 248-669-2010.